Sean Dyche shares private warning he gave Michael Keane at Everton

Everton’s season so far has been strange, impossible to predict really.

   After all, we’re only eight games into the new Premier League campaign and the Toffees have already been written off as relegation fodder, but now we’re accepting them as a comfortable mid-table outfit.

   Such is the fickle nature of football, the same ever-changing attitude applies to player opinions, with Abdoulaye Doucoure, Michael Keane and Jordan Pickford enjoying revivals after a difficult run of form.

   However, one man in particular caught the eye of his Everton manager.

   Sean Dyche shares Michael Keane’s private conversation

   Speaking to the Liverpool ECHO, Dyche spoke with a renewed sense of joy and relief after his side’s easy win over Ipswich Town.

   After all, after losing the first four games, the pressure increased at his position.

   After going undefeated in the next four since then, that has faded a bit.

   Speaking mainly about Kean in this interview, he explained exactly how and why the 31-year-old remains so trusted: “When he left this summer I said, ‘Look, it’s not a deal that centre-halves play every time I said  :'” Obviously I was loyal to them last season because I thought they were great for a lot of the season.”

   He came back as fit as I remember him and I thought he worked really hard in the pre-season.    In fact, I meant the entire preseason – he was a good player during the preseason.    He hardly missed anyone – he got a knock and missed the game or got off and we took care of him at Preston.

   Another private conversation recently revealed came when Dyche explained what informed Dwight McNeil of his need to improve, despite his strong start.

   Michael Keane is currently one of Everton’s longest serving players

   It’s incredible to think that apart from a select few players, Keane is one of Everton’s most active assets today.

   After all, he was signed back in 2017 for a club-record £30m as part of Ronald Koeman’s supposed revolution.

   221 appearances later and he remains, although he has endured a tumultuous spell at Goodison Park, full of impressive spells of form, some stunning goals, but also some truly dramatic mistakes.

   They also bought Jordan Pickford in the same summer, but just a month earlier, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin moved to Merseyside in 2016.

   Of course, none of these come close to Seamus Coleman, who has made 424 appearances in royal blue since joining in 2009.

   Idrissa Gana Gueye is the only other contender for Keane’s longevity and he too has had to take a three-year break, first joining in 2016 before leaving for Paris Saint-German before returning in 2022.